Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Des Moines, IA

April 23, 2026Adams County, Taylor County, Iowa

NWS Des Moines, IA issued this tornado warning at Apr 23, 2026, 6:33 PM CDT for Adams County, Taylor County, Iowa. It was in force for 42 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Apr 23, 2026, 6:33 PM CDT (23:33 UTC)
Expired: Apr 23, 2026, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Des Moines, IA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

Counties Adams County, IA, Taylor County, IA

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 23, 12:02 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr
Apr 23, 5:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 210 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 759 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -225 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 307 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 437 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

715 
WFUS53 KDMX 232333
TORDMX
IAC003-173-240015-
/O.NEW.KDMX.TO.W.0020.260423T2333Z-260424T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
633 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  South central Adams County in southwestern Iowa...
  Northern Taylor County in southwestern Iowa...

* Until 715 PM CDT.

* At 632 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Clarinda, moving northeast at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  New Market around 635 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include New
Market, Sharpsburg, and Gravity.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4073 9491 4073 9493 4084 9493 4099 9470
      4082 9453 4067 9491
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 238DEG 34KT 4073 9500 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Fowle

1 follow-up statement

360 
WWUS53 KDMX 232354
SVSDMX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
654 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

IAC003-173-240015-
/O.CON.KDMX.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-260424T0015Z/
Adams IA-Taylor IA-
654 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL ADAMS AND NORTHERN TAYLOR COUNTIES...

At 653 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Gravity, or 8 miles north of Bedford, moving
northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely.

This dangerous storm will be near...
  Sharpsburg around 700 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include New
Market, Sharpsburg, and Gravity.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4073 9491 4073 9493 4084 9493 4099 9470
      4082 9453 4067 9491
TIME...MOT...LOC 2353Z 243DEG 31KT 4079 9479 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

Fowle

The office that day

Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 23, 2:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford	63 min
Apr 23, 3:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Crawford	63 min
Apr 23, 3:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Carroll, Crawford	42 min
Apr 23, 4:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Palo Alto	40 min
Apr 23, 4:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Sac	57 min
Apr 23, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Audubon	56 min
Apr 23, 4:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster	49 min
Apr 23, 5:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DMX	Audubon, Carroll	27 min
Apr 23, 5:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Webster	41 min
Apr 23, 5:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Greene, Guthrie	30 min
Apr 23, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Emmet, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Winnebago	40 min
Apr 23, 5:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DMX	Kossuth	22 min
Apr 23, 5:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Humboldt, Pocahontas and 1 more	69 min
Apr 23, 5:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair, Audubon, Cass, Guthrie	66 min
Apr 23, 6:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Boone, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Webster, Wright	50 min
Apr 23, 6:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adams, Taylor	64 min
Apr 23, 6:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Adair, Boone, Cass, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie and 1 more	50 min
Apr 23, 6:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DMX	Boone, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Story, Webster	62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2026 Every tornado warning in 2026 Tornadoes in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.